Colours of India

The 54-year-old former first lady of Britain is now actively spreading awareness about the Loomba Trust,a UK-based NGO of which she is president. The organisation works for widows in developing countries.

Clad in a purple velvet tunic by Jain,Blair squeezed out time from her charity lunches and meetings to call on the designer whose outfits she wore even when her husband,former British Prime Minister Tony Blair,was in office. “I have been wearing a lot of clothes by Indian designers back home and that’s how my fascination for Indian designs began,” smiled Blair,as she admired a black jacket with a Mandarin collar that she had commissioned from Jain,who has been designing for Blair since 2006,when she was introduced to her by a friend in London. “She liked my creations and has visited me in Delhi where we’ve had a fitting session at my residence. When she asked for a jacket,I made her a black embroidered jacket with a bandhgala,which is perfect for social evenings,” said Jain.

Blair checked out the handmade pashima shawls on display and talked about how fashion had always been a joy during her teenage years in London . “It was one of the good things about growing up in London ,though sometimes I wondered whether I could be a boy,“ she said in between small talk with socialites Neeva Jain,Dior representative Kalyani Chawla and actress Sharmila Tagore on Bollywood and,surprisingly,samosas.

Tony,who is said to be in the final stage of negotiating a job with the luxury group Louis­Vuitton Moët Hennessey,is a great supporter of her work. He believes in women being set free,” smiled Blair,as she sipped her green tea. “I have many Indian friends and I only need an excuse to come here. But I miss my son Leo,who is nine and in school in London .”